JOSH BROWN (DAY OF FIRE) - This was THE very first interview we did and Josh has such a great story it is still vivid in my mind. It was weird because I had actually met Josh when he was in Full Devil Jacket. He was at producer Bob Marlette's house recording at his studio and I was over at Bob's shooting an interview with him for another project I was working on at the time.
Josh has no real knowledge of the history of Christian rock. He told us about falling away from religion when he was young and how he turned to drugs and alcohol. We try not to get too personal in most the interviews but it was hard not to with Josh, he was so ready to go there. He told the un-edited tale of how lost and desperate he had become. In fact, he said that while they were out on tour he overdosed on heroine and almost died. He had to be resuscitated, he was that far gone. He talked of how he struggled with returning to the band, which he did but the record was never finished. Like Jon Davis of Superdrag told us, it was hard to step back in that world when he felt his life was so different now. He left the band and re-committed his life to Christ. It was not easy. He said he continued to struggle with alcohol and went from being a rock star to having a day job, I think he said he worked at a nursing home. How weird would that be? Going to take your grandma some cake at the nursing home and the dude wheeling her around was the lead singer for Full Devil Jacket?
After considering many options, he started Day of Fire and the band has done really well. They have won some Dove awards and I think even some Grammy nominations. Josh is a great guy with a powerful story.
JOHN THOMPSON (author "Raised by Wolves") - We interviewed John at Cornerstone after we had missed him at GMA. I think he got sick if I remember. Note to self, do not order sushi in Nashville. John has an encyclopedic knowledge of the scene from start to finish. He and several other authors will likely serve as the connective tissue for the doc. He has a great line that starts the promo video, "my grandmother walked into a Christian bookstore and said 'my grandson has been getting into this heavy music...and I hear you have the anti-dote.'"
John talked about the controversy of putting sacred themes into a genre of music that was seen as something that corrupts youth. He talked about how the Christian music industry may shun some bands while they are IN that industry, Switchfoot and POD for example, then embrace them once they made it in the general market.
He had a lot of information about the earlier bands and even had a newsletter where he would cover Christian music that they may not put on the shelves for one reason or another. He talked about DeGarmo & Key and countless other bands that he fell in love with. He had an underground radio show and even his own band. John was one of the very early forces who would delineate what defined good Christian rock. He was such a wealth of knowledge, I really need to re-watch his interview!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Friday, June 1, 2007
Baby Greyson Part 2... the legend of Curly's gold...
So this was a typical Memorial Day at the Greyson's. Fire up the grill, set the Tivo to record all the awesome Star Wars Specials that are on and...ohh yeah...have a baby! You see, this WAS the actual due date and my wife was praying the baby would come on that day. I was hoping that he would hold off until after the History Channel Star Wars show but I guess the little man wanted to see it.
About 2:40pm my wife Mindy (smoking hot if you have not met her) started having some mild Braxton Hicks contractions. I actually thought Braxton Hicks was the band in the 80s that sang "Takin' Care of Business" but I guess it is actually faux contractions that get you ready for the real deal. At about 3:40 they were getting more intense so I comforted her, called the Dr. and set the Tivo. The Dr. said to give it an hour because since we were going for a natural delivery after having an emergency C-section on the first, the Dr. has to be present the entire time. About 4:20 Mindy was like, "it's go time" and she got ready between the contractions and I called the doc and loaded the car. That is such a woman thing, if I was about to be naked, in pain and pushing all kinds of weird stuff out of my orifices, I dont think I could care about washing my hair or painting my nails. Of course, to be fair, I rarely do either anyway.
Mindy's grandma was over so she took care of Jax (our first son who is 19 months old) while Mindy, myself and her mom (also smoking hot and available) hopped in the car to go to the hospital. The contractions were now coming hard and fast and I was doing my best to help coach her breathing but The Doobie Brothers "What A Fool Believes" came on the radio and since that song just takes me to the happy place, it made it hard to concentrate. Leave it to Kenny Loggins (he co-wrote that song) to screw up my wifes breathing. DANGIT LOGGINS!!! As we approached the hospital it was becoming clear that we were on the highway to the danger zone. I thought about some good friends of mine that gave birth in a Volkswagon and actually got money from VW, something like $700 (guess they could not afford to give out money for those conceived in a VW.) However, we drive an Acura so all we would prolly get is some bad sushi and a good deal on leather re-finishing at the dealer. Not worth it.
We pulled up to the hospital and I calmly, and by calmly I mean screaming hysterically, asked for a wheelchair. I left the car running and wheeled her up to get checked in. Once they got her to the room I moved the car and got right back, it was 5:15pm. The nurse came in to check her and said she was at 8.5cm dilated (this is where you guys might want to tune out as I am about to reveal the sweet mysteries of life) which, according to what I know, means that baby is coming fast. At 10cm, they want you to push. In an absolute CRAZY flurry, people were flying in, hooking things up, having me sign papers, forms, etc. I think I accidentally voted for Pat Buchanan in the process. All the while my sweet Mindy was in intense, writhing pain and politely asking for some drugs, and by politely I mean screaming hysterically. They had a monitor on the baby's heart and a contraction monitor. For you dad's, that contraction monitor is a great thing, you can actually watch it and see them coming and coach her thru them (or at least know when to duck if your wife is the fighting type). I was relieved to see the baby's heart was steady as our first was fluctuating wildly and eventually forced an emergency C-section. However, it was tough to watch my wife in such pain, especially when the doctor walked in to check her and said she was too far along for drugs...no epidural, not even a friggin Tylenol. The room full of women all gasped and gave her a collective "bless your heart." If Meredith Baxter-Bernie had been there it would have been like a live Lifetime Movie. At this point I had no idea what to say to encourage or coach her so I did what any self-respecting male would do, I started to quote Adam Sandler movies. More specifically, the Rob Schnieder character in every Sandler movie... "YOU CAN DO IT!"
She was discouraged and in pain but that didnt last long as she knew the quicker she could squeeze this kid out, the quicker we could meet him and the faster the pain would go away. The doc commented that her contractions were super strong for natural labor but that prolly meant the baby would come fast. She re-focused, and by re-focused I mean screamed hysterically, and got ready for the final stretch. The Dr. checked her again, broke her bag of waters and said it was time to push this kid out. She was in what seemed to be excruciating pain but she was awesome, she followed my coaching ("YOU CAN DO IT!") and the doctors directions and before long you could see the sweet coiffure of the Catch man starting to peak out. Seriously, dude had a sweet mullet and daddy was starting to get proud. Mindy was still hurting but knowing he was that close gave her all she needed to push him out and at 5:58pm, less than 45 minutes from when we checked in, he was here.
BOOYAH! Guess what the first thing he does is? Nope, not cry like most kids. He decides to drop a sweet deuce right there and before the nurse can get to it, he decides to give the Dr. a nice little shower present as well. "THAT JUST HAPPENED!" I said in my best Will Ferrell voice. Only 5 seconds old and already stickin' it to the man, what a great kid.
The nurses cleaned him up while the Dr. tended to my wife. As proud as I was to have a new baby son, I was equally as proud of my wife. What a champion. She has to put up with all my crap and then gets NO MEDICINE WHATSOEVER and somehow, after all this, she is smiling, happy and yes...still smoking hot. The nurse tech came up to me afterwards and said she was actually proud of me and said that I was the best labor coach she had ever seen. I did not know what to say to that but I tried, "Listen lady...some people are just born with it."
I dont want to stir things up too soon but the early buzz is that Spielberg has commissioned "Baby Greyson 3: The Next Crusade" to be written my M. Night Shamalamadingdong.
About 2:40pm my wife Mindy (smoking hot if you have not met her) started having some mild Braxton Hicks contractions. I actually thought Braxton Hicks was the band in the 80s that sang "Takin' Care of Business" but I guess it is actually faux contractions that get you ready for the real deal. At about 3:40 they were getting more intense so I comforted her, called the Dr. and set the Tivo. The Dr. said to give it an hour because since we were going for a natural delivery after having an emergency C-section on the first, the Dr. has to be present the entire time. About 4:20 Mindy was like, "it's go time" and she got ready between the contractions and I called the doc and loaded the car. That is such a woman thing, if I was about to be naked, in pain and pushing all kinds of weird stuff out of my orifices, I dont think I could care about washing my hair or painting my nails. Of course, to be fair, I rarely do either anyway.Mindy's grandma was over so she took care of Jax (our first son who is 19 months old) while Mindy, myself and her mom (also smoking hot and available) hopped in the car to go to the hospital. The contractions were now coming hard and fast and I was doing my best to help coach her breathing but The Doobie Brothers "What A Fool Believes" came on the radio and since that song just takes me to the happy place, it made it hard to concentrate. Leave it to Kenny Loggins (he co-wrote that song) to screw up my wifes breathing. DANGIT LOGGINS!!! As we approached the hospital it was becoming clear that we were on the highway to the danger zone. I thought about some good friends of mine that gave birth in a Volkswagon and actually got money from VW, something like $700 (guess they could not afford to give out money for those conceived in a VW.) However, we drive an Acura so all we would prolly get is some bad sushi and a good deal on leather re-finishing at the dealer. Not worth it.
We pulled up to the hospital and I calmly, and by calmly I mean screaming hysterically, asked for a wheelchair. I left the car running and wheeled her up to get checked in. Once they got her to the room I moved the car and got right back, it was 5:15pm. The nurse came in to check her and said she was at 8.5cm dilated (this is where you guys might want to tune out as I am about to reveal the sweet mysteries of life) which, according to what I know, means that baby is coming fast. At 10cm, they want you to push. In an absolute CRAZY flurry, people were flying in, hooking things up, having me sign papers, forms, etc. I think I accidentally voted for Pat Buchanan in the process. All the while my sweet Mindy was in intense, writhing pain and politely asking for some drugs, and by politely I mean screaming hysterically. They had a monitor on the baby's heart and a contraction monitor. For you dad's, that contraction monitor is a great thing, you can actually watch it and see them coming and coach her thru them (or at least know when to duck if your wife is the fighting type). I was relieved to see the baby's heart was steady as our first was fluctuating wildly and eventually forced an emergency C-section. However, it was tough to watch my wife in such pain, especially when the doctor walked in to check her and said she was too far along for drugs...no epidural, not even a friggin Tylenol. The room full of women all gasped and gave her a collective "bless your heart." If Meredith Baxter-Bernie had been there it would have been like a live Lifetime Movie. At this point I had no idea what to say to encourage or coach her so I did what any self-respecting male would do, I started to quote Adam Sandler movies. More specifically, the Rob Schnieder character in every Sandler movie... "YOU CAN DO IT!"
She was discouraged and in pain but that didnt last long as she knew the quicker she could squeeze this kid out, the quicker we could meet him and the faster the pain would go away. The doc commented that her contractions were super strong for natural labor but that prolly meant the baby would come fast. She re-focused, and by re-focused I mean screamed hysterically, and got ready for the final stretch. The Dr. checked her again, broke her bag of waters and said it was time to push this kid out. She was in what seemed to be excruciating pain but she was awesome, she followed my coaching ("YOU CAN DO IT!") and the doctors directions and before long you could see the sweet coiffure of the Catch man starting to peak out. Seriously, dude had a sweet mullet and daddy was starting to get proud. Mindy was still hurting but knowing he was that close gave her all she needed to push him out and at 5:58pm, less than 45 minutes from when we checked in, he was here.
BOOYAH! Guess what the first thing he does is? Nope, not cry like most kids. He decides to drop a sweet deuce right there and before the nurse can get to it, he decides to give the Dr. a nice little shower present as well. "THAT JUST HAPPENED!" I said in my best Will Ferrell voice. Only 5 seconds old and already stickin' it to the man, what a great kid.The nurses cleaned him up while the Dr. tended to my wife. As proud as I was to have a new baby son, I was equally as proud of my wife. What a champion. She has to put up with all my crap and then gets NO MEDICINE WHATSOEVER and somehow, after all this, she is smiling, happy and yes...still smoking hot. The nurse tech came up to me afterwards and said she was actually proud of me and said that I was the best labor coach she had ever seen. I did not know what to say to that but I tried, "Listen lady...some people are just born with it."
I dont want to stir things up too soon but the early buzz is that Spielberg has commissioned "Baby Greyson 3: The Next Crusade" to be written my M. Night Shamalamadingdong.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Rez Band, Cornerstone & Superdrag
JOHN HERRIN (REZ BAND, JESUS PEOPLE, CORNERSTONE) - John is probably one of the most influential figures that people are not aware of. He has been in the background of everything but something tells me he has really been the guy who held a lot of stuff together. Glenn Kaiser is the most known member of REZ (we will be interviewing him soon) but John was right there with him. He is still a member of JPUSA (Jesus People USA) and he runs the MASSIVE Cornerstone Festival.
John still looks the way he did 30 years ago, a rockin' sweet beard, long hair and big smile. He has a great raspy voice and EXUDES that sweet hippie love that the world is so lacking today. REZ was a ministry band that started, not to make money, but to spread the message. Their goals were to play for as many people as possible and get enough money to have gas to get to the next town. He had some AWESOME stories about the good old days when they would roll up to a town, set up the tent and rock until people stopped coming. He recounted spending 4, 5 even 6 days in one small town with thousands of people sometimes showing up. Their music was considered WAY too hard for mass consumption and the only Christian distribution at the time was for straight up gospel but when they finally recorded an album (thanks to a generous donation of a friend) a small, unknown label released it. It was a hit in the Christian market and it really helped open the door for others to walk thru. As a band, they never shied away from controversial issues. By now, we have all heard of the horrors of apartheid (you kiddos who are too young to know, look it up) but it was not Bono or even Peter Gabriel before him to first tackle the issue, it was Rez Band. Make you wonder doesnt it? Where are the Christian bands that are on the forefront of real world issues NOW? John set the stage for the REZ story and I am sure Kaiser will bring it home when we talk to him.
CORNERSTONE FESTIVAL - Technically, this is more from John's interview but it is really a separate topic. I have to be honest, I was a youth group kid and I had NO IDEA this world existed. Turns out that while I was at the Mabee Center at ORU kicking it to CARMAN'S "Witches Invitation" there were 40,000 kids in a field in Illinois banging their head to underground Christian music that I had never heard of. Just about every single artist we talk to has something good to say about Cornerstone and its significance. It was the ONE place where a hard rock band, that was used to playing basement shows for 100 kids, could come play for 10,000 plus screaming, fanatical, on fire for Jesus, die-hards. This last year was my first time to go and I found that besides bands, they have speakers, prayer tents, cold showers, a sweet lake, copious amounts of dust, a film festival and the most impressive collection of porta-potties I have ever seen. It was really crazy but also, really awesome. Beside the 300+ bands that officially play, there were little unsanctioned "generator" stages all over the place. It was intense but fascinating. This year "Underoath" put on a crazy show but I have countless interviews with people that cover just about every memorable event ever at C-stone.
I also encountered my first in-person protester who stood outside the gates of C-stone with a sign that read "Cornerstone Dishonors God." He was soft spoken but stubborn and I caught several fairly intense interactions with festival goers on tape. His take is still that the Devil is using this music and it has invaded the Christian world. One kid (with seriously, the sweetest beard yet) was very intense with the protester, "God says, 'I am not an electric guitar?!?!'... rock'n'roll is just a thing!" The protester went on to say that there should be a clear division between secular and Christian music and just when I thought the guy was actually going to make a compelling argument, he decided to bust out with, "women preachers are against biblical teachings and...oh by the way, all Catholics are going to hell." Great dude, there goes my Mel Gibson endorsement.
John also talked about how the JPUSA bus broke down outside of Chicago so they decided to set-up shop there and in 1984 they decided to start Cornerstone. Word got out and it just got bigger and bigger. Many bands launched careers thru Cornerstone and many kids got to exposed to tons of great music (and dust) they would have never heard. In the words of Carman, "Satan, Bite the Dust!" http://youtube.com/watch?v=SswiYEXZrIg
JON DAVIS (SUPERDRAG) - First off, I loved the power-pop sounds of Superdrag (word on the street is that they may be getting back together) and when they fell off the map, I wasnt sure why. When I caught up with Jon at Cornerstone, he had plenty to say. I was not familiar with the story but he said he had become a very dark person and had a terrible addiction to "many" things but alcohol had a stranglehold on him. He said that he was driving one night and reflecting on his life and realized he had hit rock bottom. He said he cried out to God and felt his prayers were answered. Almost immediately, he was able to get his life on track and even though things were going well with Superdrag, he said his heart was no longer in it. "I just didnt feel right getting up there singing songs I wrote when I was drunk or partying, when that part of me was now dead and gone." He said he didnt feel that Superdrag was going to cause him to fall back into that life but he did feel that he would never have peace or passion continuing on with the band. Since he was the lead singer, lead guitar and main songwriter...that meant the end for Superdrag. He said it was rough on his band mates but they ultimately understood. Jon speaks of the peace and humility he has now. He makes most his living from being a studio musician or background guy in other bands and his solo stuff is very much about his newfound faith and the gifts he feels God has for us all. If the rumors of Superdrag re-uniting are true, maybe Jon is ready to step back into that role, with new songs that speak more about who he is now. Because he is a phenomenal songwriter and musician, I am sure he will be welcomed back with open arms, even by those who dont "get" his new lifestyle.
John still looks the way he did 30 years ago, a rockin' sweet beard, long hair and big smile. He has a great raspy voice and EXUDES that sweet hippie love that the world is so lacking today. REZ was a ministry band that started, not to make money, but to spread the message. Their goals were to play for as many people as possible and get enough money to have gas to get to the next town. He had some AWESOME stories about the good old days when they would roll up to a town, set up the tent and rock until people stopped coming. He recounted spending 4, 5 even 6 days in one small town with thousands of people sometimes showing up. Their music was considered WAY too hard for mass consumption and the only Christian distribution at the time was for straight up gospel but when they finally recorded an album (thanks to a generous donation of a friend) a small, unknown label released it. It was a hit in the Christian market and it really helped open the door for others to walk thru. As a band, they never shied away from controversial issues. By now, we have all heard of the horrors of apartheid (you kiddos who are too young to know, look it up) but it was not Bono or even Peter Gabriel before him to first tackle the issue, it was Rez Band. Make you wonder doesnt it? Where are the Christian bands that are on the forefront of real world issues NOW? John set the stage for the REZ story and I am sure Kaiser will bring it home when we talk to him.
CORNERSTONE FESTIVAL - Technically, this is more from John's interview but it is really a separate topic. I have to be honest, I was a youth group kid and I had NO IDEA this world existed. Turns out that while I was at the Mabee Center at ORU kicking it to CARMAN'S "Witches Invitation" there were 40,000 kids in a field in Illinois banging their head to underground Christian music that I had never heard of. Just about every single artist we talk to has something good to say about Cornerstone and its significance. It was the ONE place where a hard rock band, that was used to playing basement shows for 100 kids, could come play for 10,000 plus screaming, fanatical, on fire for Jesus, die-hards. This last year was my first time to go and I found that besides bands, they have speakers, prayer tents, cold showers, a sweet lake, copious amounts of dust, a film festival and the most impressive collection of porta-potties I have ever seen. It was really crazy but also, really awesome. Beside the 300+ bands that officially play, there were little unsanctioned "generator" stages all over the place. It was intense but fascinating. This year "Underoath" put on a crazy show but I have countless interviews with people that cover just about every memorable event ever at C-stone.
I also encountered my first in-person protester who stood outside the gates of C-stone with a sign that read "Cornerstone Dishonors God." He was soft spoken but stubborn and I caught several fairly intense interactions with festival goers on tape. His take is still that the Devil is using this music and it has invaded the Christian world. One kid (with seriously, the sweetest beard yet) was very intense with the protester, "God says, 'I am not an electric guitar?!?!'... rock'n'roll is just a thing!" The protester went on to say that there should be a clear division between secular and Christian music and just when I thought the guy was actually going to make a compelling argument, he decided to bust out with, "women preachers are against biblical teachings and...oh by the way, all Catholics are going to hell." Great dude, there goes my Mel Gibson endorsement.
John also talked about how the JPUSA bus broke down outside of Chicago so they decided to set-up shop there and in 1984 they decided to start Cornerstone. Word got out and it just got bigger and bigger. Many bands launched careers thru Cornerstone and many kids got to exposed to tons of great music (and dust) they would have never heard. In the words of Carman, "Satan, Bite the Dust!" http://youtube.com/watch?v=SswiYEXZrIg
JON DAVIS (SUPERDRAG) - First off, I loved the power-pop sounds of Superdrag (word on the street is that they may be getting back together) and when they fell off the map, I wasnt sure why. When I caught up with Jon at Cornerstone, he had plenty to say. I was not familiar with the story but he said he had become a very dark person and had a terrible addiction to "many" things but alcohol had a stranglehold on him. He said that he was driving one night and reflecting on his life and realized he had hit rock bottom. He said he cried out to God and felt his prayers were answered. Almost immediately, he was able to get his life on track and even though things were going well with Superdrag, he said his heart was no longer in it. "I just didnt feel right getting up there singing songs I wrote when I was drunk or partying, when that part of me was now dead and gone." He said he didnt feel that Superdrag was going to cause him to fall back into that life but he did feel that he would never have peace or passion continuing on with the band. Since he was the lead singer, lead guitar and main songwriter...that meant the end for Superdrag. He said it was rough on his band mates but they ultimately understood. Jon speaks of the peace and humility he has now. He makes most his living from being a studio musician or background guy in other bands and his solo stuff is very much about his newfound faith and the gifts he feels God has for us all. If the rumors of Superdrag re-uniting are true, maybe Jon is ready to step back into that role, with new songs that speak more about who he is now. Because he is a phenomenal songwriter and musician, I am sure he will be welcomed back with open arms, even by those who dont "get" his new lifestyle.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Petra, needtobreathe & Cool Hand Luke
JOHN SCHLITT (PETRA) - this was one of the very first interviews we did and I hadnt developed the "style" for the doc yet. I set up a gorgeous CSI:Miami looking interview and at the last second we were told we had 20 minutes and the interview had to be done in an old locker room about 10 flights of stairs away...DOH! I have since decided to go very RAW, almost hand-held with the interviews, as many are on the fly. It will annoy some but...I think it works. For those who dont know, Schlitt was the lead singer for Petra after Greg Volz left. There is a big debate about pre and post Volz Petra but I love it all. I always thought it would be great for them to make Petra bumper stickers that said, "Schlitt Happens!" but that was too out of the box then I guess. John was very open about the fact that they were not trying to push the creative envelope, instead, they had their ear to the ground to see what was happening in the general market so they could offer a positive but relevant alternative. Say what you will, but I thought Petra was "the Schlitt." I still have the War & Remembrance box set on my ipod and many of those songs creep into the most played from time to time. You have not lived until you have heard "Beyond Belief" followed by some Imogen Heap. John talked of "other" bands (uhh...Stryper maybe?) who took the wrong approach he thought, especially at the time. Remember, this was at the height of Christian sub-culture... Carman, the Power Team, Bill Gothard, etc. were filling arenas and STADIUMS across the country. There was no such thing as "crossing over" then.
John also talked about a part of his life most Christian rock fans are completely ignorant of, his time as lead singer of Head East, one of the original hard rock bands. They were never HUGE but they went Gold and had a bunch of top 100 hits. The rock and roll lifestyle lead him to the point of drug addiction and even a contemplation of suicide before he became a Christian and joined Petra.
BO & BEAR RINEHART (needtobreathe) - Okay, so a couple months ago, I had no idea who these guys were. People started asking me if I had heard of them, then more people started asking...so I decided to check them out. Their CD is terrific, "You Are Here" and "Shine On" are about as good as pop rock gets. The album seems to have some British influence but after talking to the brothers Rinehart, I am going to say that has more to do with the producer (the guy who produced Keane). When they performed the songs live, I thought they had even more heart than the album tracks. Sorry UK'ers but southern charm speaks louder to me than the Queen's English. At any rate...get this record! On to the interview...
These guys are proud of their faith but also clearly on a mission to reach all people with their music. They are passionate about music and genuinely talented, one brother was the South Carolina Player of the year in 2002 as a receiver for Furman University where he holds several records and the other brother is a gifted actor, I think he had a bit part in "RADIO." They talked about being raised as preachers kids in the small town of Possum Kingdom, SC. They were very into Christian rock and culture as kids and were well versed on all the early bands. Bear indicated that their father was very supportive of Christian rock but that occasionally an evangelist would come thru and talk about the evils of rock music. He talked about how it was the same guys who started the rumors about bands like KISS, that KISS stood for "Knights In Satan's Service" or AC/DC stood for "Anti-Christ/Devil's Children" which we now know is silly. Bear recalls being afraid of the evil that was Aerosmith as a kid, then later laughing when he saw them running around on stage with Run DMC. Bo talked about "The Prayer Chain" as a band that really stood out as cool and creative. He said you could walk into the Christian bookstore and their CD really stood out, "...it was like, cheesy, cheesy, cheesy, COOL!"
Bear had more great things to say but I zoned out for a few minutes because after weezing about 8 Diet Cokes from their dressing room (they were the squatty 6oz cans, so cut me some slack) I had a severe needtopee. He talked about his desire to not avoid the Christian market but to purposely not tailor their music to it. If all we speak is Christian-ese, then who but other Christians can really understand what we are saying? Pretty good point my Possum Kingdom friend. These are some terrific guys with amazing attitudes, I think they are going to be huge, but even if they arent, I think they will be around a long time.
By the way, the SANCTUS REAL guys were there playing with needtobreathe and I had some good talks with Matt, just the normal stuff...how messy it is to eat ribs, abortion, why promoters like to serve lasagna so much, the churches position on gays... you know, just some light chit-chat. Seriously though, Matt is a tender-heart who likes to laugh, we would prolly be good friends if we lived in the same town.
MARK NICKS (COOL HAND LUKE) - Another band I didnt know much about but they are a real hidden gem. No real words to describe CHL, ethereal, passionate, super creative... something like that. So, I am a super-nerd smart dude but Mark is freakishly smart and somehow, still really cool. He talked over my head most the time but this is a guy who loves the Lord and seems to spin everything into how every bad experience or negative is really something that is meant to challenge us. I think Mark will probably end up a preacher and if he does, I will gladly go to his church...
John also talked about a part of his life most Christian rock fans are completely ignorant of, his time as lead singer of Head East, one of the original hard rock bands. They were never HUGE but they went Gold and had a bunch of top 100 hits. The rock and roll lifestyle lead him to the point of drug addiction and even a contemplation of suicide before he became a Christian and joined Petra.
BO & BEAR RINEHART (needtobreathe) - Okay, so a couple months ago, I had no idea who these guys were. People started asking me if I had heard of them, then more people started asking...so I decided to check them out. Their CD is terrific, "You Are Here" and "Shine On" are about as good as pop rock gets. The album seems to have some British influence but after talking to the brothers Rinehart, I am going to say that has more to do with the producer (the guy who produced Keane). When they performed the songs live, I thought they had even more heart than the album tracks. Sorry UK'ers but southern charm speaks louder to me than the Queen's English. At any rate...get this record! On to the interview...
These guys are proud of their faith but also clearly on a mission to reach all people with their music. They are passionate about music and genuinely talented, one brother was the South Carolina Player of the year in 2002 as a receiver for Furman University where he holds several records and the other brother is a gifted actor, I think he had a bit part in "RADIO." They talked about being raised as preachers kids in the small town of Possum Kingdom, SC. They were very into Christian rock and culture as kids and were well versed on all the early bands. Bear indicated that their father was very supportive of Christian rock but that occasionally an evangelist would come thru and talk about the evils of rock music. He talked about how it was the same guys who started the rumors about bands like KISS, that KISS stood for "Knights In Satan's Service" or AC/DC stood for "Anti-Christ/Devil's Children" which we now know is silly. Bear recalls being afraid of the evil that was Aerosmith as a kid, then later laughing when he saw them running around on stage with Run DMC. Bo talked about "The Prayer Chain" as a band that really stood out as cool and creative. He said you could walk into the Christian bookstore and their CD really stood out, "...it was like, cheesy, cheesy, cheesy, COOL!"
Bear had more great things to say but I zoned out for a few minutes because after weezing about 8 Diet Cokes from their dressing room (they were the squatty 6oz cans, so cut me some slack) I had a severe needtopee. He talked about his desire to not avoid the Christian market but to purposely not tailor their music to it. If all we speak is Christian-ese, then who but other Christians can really understand what we are saying? Pretty good point my Possum Kingdom friend. These are some terrific guys with amazing attitudes, I think they are going to be huge, but even if they arent, I think they will be around a long time.
By the way, the SANCTUS REAL guys were there playing with needtobreathe and I had some good talks with Matt, just the normal stuff...how messy it is to eat ribs, abortion, why promoters like to serve lasagna so much, the churches position on gays... you know, just some light chit-chat. Seriously though, Matt is a tender-heart who likes to laugh, we would prolly be good friends if we lived in the same town.
MARK NICKS (COOL HAND LUKE) - Another band I didnt know much about but they are a real hidden gem. No real words to describe CHL, ethereal, passionate, super creative... something like that. So, I am a super-nerd smart dude but Mark is freakishly smart and somehow, still really cool. He talked over my head most the time but this is a guy who loves the Lord and seems to spin everything into how every bad experience or negative is really something that is meant to challenge us. I think Mark will probably end up a preacher and if he does, I will gladly go to his church...
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Steve Taylor, HM Magazine & Maylene & the Sons of Disaster
STEVE TAYLOR - Steve entered the room at GMA and apologized in advance for not being a good interview. He said that people assume he will be good on camera but that he generally has not done well. He was wrong... he was there doing promo for the film he directed called "The Second Chance" which stars Michael W Smith (someone we will be talking to soon). Steve played a critical role in getting relevance into the genre. He directly attacked both Christians and non-Christians with his lyrics and new wave sound. He was controversial but... I think he was right. He talked about how he went after Bob Jones U. and their ban on interracial dating with "We Dont Need No Color Code" (Bob Jones has since rescinded this policy.) Steve said he heard stories about the kids at Bob Jones getting the CD in a paper bag from the music store near campus. He also went after Jimmy Swaggart in a song and Swaggart struck back in his anti-Christian rock book where Taylor got an entire chapter. He also went after Bill Gothard, TV Evangelists, pretty much everyone he thought needed to be challenged. His most controversial song was probably "I Blew Up the Clinic Real Good" about pro-life activists. It was actually pulled out of many Christian bookstores.
His aim was not solely on radical Christians, he also had songs like, "Since I Gave Up Hope I Feel a Lot Better" and "Jim Morrison's Grave", as well as "Meltdown" which was actually a mainstream hit on MTV. After he stopped performing and before he went on to direct, he ran a label for a while that launched the career of Sixpence. So yeah... this guy has done a lot.
One last thing... for a controversial figure, he could not be more meek, humble and nice. It is obvious that he limited his confrontation to his art and left it there. I dont see Steve sitting at Denny's arguing about abortion, he will leave that to others and enjoy his grand slam breakfast and OJ.
DOUG VAN PELT (HM Magazine) - I know it is getting old for me to say this but GEEEEZ, what a sweetheart Doug was. You will not find another person on planet earth that has more passion for this genre than Doug Van Pelt. He has nothing bad to say about anyone, he seems like a guy who finds the good in anything and focuses on that, even if it is only a morsel of the entire cake. The world needs more DVP's. He is another guy who knows every band out there and has a story from every show, album, festival, etc. He has run HM Magazine (originally called Heaven's Metal) for over 20 years. He came to tears twice in the interview, once when telling a story about U2. There apparently was a show where the FBI said there was a legitimate death threat to Bono. It was a show out in the open (Memphis I believe) and they could not provide good enough protection so it was recommended they cancel the show. U2 not only refused to cancel but decided to go ahead and sing the song they had been warned not to sing, "MLK." Bono grabbed the mic, fell to his knees and closed his eyes to perform the song with a hand held toward the heavens. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Adam Clayton (not a Christian at the time) was standing in front of him to shield him from harm. Doug says he was really touched by this because obviously, the way Bono lived his life had been a witness to Clayton, so much so, that he was willing to die to protect him. Pretty cool.
MAYLENE & THE SONS OF DISASTER - Another band that I had no clue what they were going into the interview. They had been described to me as "Skynyrd-core" which was pretty impossible for me to wrap my head around. I just cant keep up with all the genres, I actually think I made up a new one the other day, "countr-emo." It is Dashboard Confessional meets Toby Keith...anyway...
These guys really won me over with their genuine hearts and straight up, backwoods, dueling banjos, Deliverance, REALNESS. One of the guys, the one with the sweetest beard (and that is saying a lot as there were some sweet beards in this band) literally asked to pause for a moment because he needed to pee. We were over at Cornerstone mainstage back by the creek (where they said they would feel the most comfortable doing the interview) and he just turned away and peed. Oh to be so free. They were like Underoath in that, they are not shy about their faith but they have not had a lot of resistance. They just do what they do and they were actually shocked anyone would even care who they were, much less sit thru a concert with them, let alone pay for it. They said it started off as a fun thing, almost as a joke, but people started to respond. When prompted to tell me about their goals they universally agreed that while it is great to spread the good word, what they would really like is to make enough money to get a nicer grill to strap to the top of their van. Great guys. Next time I hear some b-rate rocker whining about how stale his papaya on the green room fruit tray is, I am going to think happy thoughts about M&TSOD.
His aim was not solely on radical Christians, he also had songs like, "Since I Gave Up Hope I Feel a Lot Better" and "Jim Morrison's Grave", as well as "Meltdown" which was actually a mainstream hit on MTV. After he stopped performing and before he went on to direct, he ran a label for a while that launched the career of Sixpence. So yeah... this guy has done a lot.
One last thing... for a controversial figure, he could not be more meek, humble and nice. It is obvious that he limited his confrontation to his art and left it there. I dont see Steve sitting at Denny's arguing about abortion, he will leave that to others and enjoy his grand slam breakfast and OJ.
DOUG VAN PELT (HM Magazine) - I know it is getting old for me to say this but GEEEEZ, what a sweetheart Doug was. You will not find another person on planet earth that has more passion for this genre than Doug Van Pelt. He has nothing bad to say about anyone, he seems like a guy who finds the good in anything and focuses on that, even if it is only a morsel of the entire cake. The world needs more DVP's. He is another guy who knows every band out there and has a story from every show, album, festival, etc. He has run HM Magazine (originally called Heaven's Metal) for over 20 years. He came to tears twice in the interview, once when telling a story about U2. There apparently was a show where the FBI said there was a legitimate death threat to Bono. It was a show out in the open (Memphis I believe) and they could not provide good enough protection so it was recommended they cancel the show. U2 not only refused to cancel but decided to go ahead and sing the song they had been warned not to sing, "MLK." Bono grabbed the mic, fell to his knees and closed his eyes to perform the song with a hand held toward the heavens. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Adam Clayton (not a Christian at the time) was standing in front of him to shield him from harm. Doug says he was really touched by this because obviously, the way Bono lived his life had been a witness to Clayton, so much so, that he was willing to die to protect him. Pretty cool.
MAYLENE & THE SONS OF DISASTER - Another band that I had no clue what they were going into the interview. They had been described to me as "Skynyrd-core" which was pretty impossible for me to wrap my head around. I just cant keep up with all the genres, I actually think I made up a new one the other day, "countr-emo." It is Dashboard Confessional meets Toby Keith...anyway...
These guys really won me over with their genuine hearts and straight up, backwoods, dueling banjos, Deliverance, REALNESS. One of the guys, the one with the sweetest beard (and that is saying a lot as there were some sweet beards in this band) literally asked to pause for a moment because he needed to pee. We were over at Cornerstone mainstage back by the creek (where they said they would feel the most comfortable doing the interview) and he just turned away and peed. Oh to be so free. They were like Underoath in that, they are not shy about their faith but they have not had a lot of resistance. They just do what they do and they were actually shocked anyone would even care who they were, much less sit thru a concert with them, let alone pay for it. They said it started off as a fun thing, almost as a joke, but people started to respond. When prompted to tell me about their goals they universally agreed that while it is great to spread the good word, what they would really like is to make enough money to get a nicer grill to strap to the top of their van. Great guys. Next time I hear some b-rate rocker whining about how stale his papaya on the green room fruit tray is, I am going to think happy thoughts about M&TSOD.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Phil Keaggy, Brandon Ebel, Zao & Bill Power
PHIL KEAGGY - Phil is a wonderful, soft-spoken guy who genuinely has no idea how good he is. He constantly brushed off the accolades when asked and frequently talked of how lucky he was to get the chance to play with certain people or meet certain people. He was also very supportive of Christians in the mainstream and even busted out a CS Lewis reference. He said, "like CS Lewis said, we dont need more Christians writing about Christian things...we need more Christians writing about MANY things." Pretty great stuff IMHO.
BRANDON EBEL (Tooth & Nail Records) - Brandon was one of the first interviews we did and at first he was pretty sheepish. Apparently he has taken a lot of flack from people over the way he runs T&N. He is cutting edge, he is signing LOTS of bands, he cant give them all great deals but he does give them a chance and artistic freedom. Much of what T&N does with their contracts, etc. has found its way into the mainstream because T&N, last I checked, was THE most successful indie label in the world. Instead of giving 5 bands a great contract, he gives 20 bands a decent contract. Those other 15 bands should be kissing his @ss because he is giving them something nobody else will. But anyway... on to the interview... Brandon is funny and knows his stuff. He might be a business man but he got into this because he loves music with a fiery passion. You would be hard pressed to name a band that he hasnt seen live or has a story about. He talked excitedly and extensively about different scenes in Christian music, mostly underground rock stuff and about the beginnings of T&N. He started the "label" in his apartment where he ran it for a while. He really took the underground scene and gave it a place on the shelf in the marketplace, pretty amazing. He was the first of MANY people to mention, "The Crucified" as an inspirational band and Cornerstone as a pivotal event. He said in no uncertain terms that there would be no T&N without the inspiration he got from how "LU-JIT" "The Crucified" were. They showed him what Christians could do with music. He also pointed out that Cornerstone helped further inspire him.
BILL POWER - (former VP T&N, Blenderhead) Most the interviews in "controlled" environments I have done on a black background but Bill is a sweet looking dude, all tatted up and his office had an awesome feel so I put on a wide angle lens and kicked it old school. He had a lot of awesome things to say about trading tapes back in the day of bands that they would not dare sell in the Christian bookstores. He is another guy that really helped defined the "scene" with his stories about different bands. He talked openly and frankly. One of the best things I think he said was that he hated the idea of "Christian" rock. His take is that music is music... and bands are bands.
ZAO - OK...so, I was a youth group kid and had no idea who these guys were but they won me over. I thought MetalCore was a Japanese comic. These are some intelligent fellows, very articulate and full of deep knowledge. They talked about how the Christian side of the industry never really understood them but honestly, they didn't seem to care. When prodded for what they thought about the Christian music business they said something that nobody else has said, "I don't think there is such a thing, it doesn't exist." When asked to elaborate they articulately spoke of how, at the end of the day, the money raised all goes to the same place, the same corporate giants, not to charity or to help people, it goes to buy cars, houses, etc. They even pointed that inward. "When we play a show, at the end of the night, that money goes into my pocket, not into a church or a Christian cause." I never really thought of that but it is a great point. After the interview I got to chatting with Martin and as it turns out we both really love this indie artist named "BLEU" he is not a Christian but check him out. http://www.bleutopia.com/
more later...
BRANDON EBEL (Tooth & Nail Records) - Brandon was one of the first interviews we did and at first he was pretty sheepish. Apparently he has taken a lot of flack from people over the way he runs T&N. He is cutting edge, he is signing LOTS of bands, he cant give them all great deals but he does give them a chance and artistic freedom. Much of what T&N does with their contracts, etc. has found its way into the mainstream because T&N, last I checked, was THE most successful indie label in the world. Instead of giving 5 bands a great contract, he gives 20 bands a decent contract. Those other 15 bands should be kissing his @ss because he is giving them something nobody else will. But anyway... on to the interview... Brandon is funny and knows his stuff. He might be a business man but he got into this because he loves music with a fiery passion. You would be hard pressed to name a band that he hasnt seen live or has a story about. He talked excitedly and extensively about different scenes in Christian music, mostly underground rock stuff and about the beginnings of T&N. He started the "label" in his apartment where he ran it for a while. He really took the underground scene and gave it a place on the shelf in the marketplace, pretty amazing. He was the first of MANY people to mention, "The Crucified" as an inspirational band and Cornerstone as a pivotal event. He said in no uncertain terms that there would be no T&N without the inspiration he got from how "LU-JIT" "The Crucified" were. They showed him what Christians could do with music. He also pointed out that Cornerstone helped further inspire him.
BILL POWER - (former VP T&N, Blenderhead) Most the interviews in "controlled" environments I have done on a black background but Bill is a sweet looking dude, all tatted up and his office had an awesome feel so I put on a wide angle lens and kicked it old school. He had a lot of awesome things to say about trading tapes back in the day of bands that they would not dare sell in the Christian bookstores. He is another guy that really helped defined the "scene" with his stories about different bands. He talked openly and frankly. One of the best things I think he said was that he hated the idea of "Christian" rock. His take is that music is music... and bands are bands.
ZAO - OK...so, I was a youth group kid and had no idea who these guys were but they won me over. I thought MetalCore was a Japanese comic. These are some intelligent fellows, very articulate and full of deep knowledge. They talked about how the Christian side of the industry never really understood them but honestly, they didn't seem to care. When prodded for what they thought about the Christian music business they said something that nobody else has said, "I don't think there is such a thing, it doesn't exist." When asked to elaborate they articulately spoke of how, at the end of the day, the money raised all goes to the same place, the same corporate giants, not to charity or to help people, it goes to buy cars, houses, etc. They even pointed that inward. "When we play a show, at the end of the night, that money goes into my pocket, not into a church or a Christian cause." I never really thought of that but it is a great point. After the interview I got to chatting with Martin and as it turns out we both really love this indie artist named "BLEU" he is not a Christian but check him out. http://www.bleutopia.com/
more later...
Monday, April 30, 2007
POD, Randy Stonehill & MxPx
RANDY STONEHILL - this is the most recent interview we have done and, to date, the furthest back we have gone. Randy is genuinely funny and great to talk to. You really get a sense that there was a "scene" starting to happen thru him telling stories. He also talked about the resistance he got from the start and how much it hurt and frustrated him. At one point he said he was about to give up and just go get a general market deal and he said he felt the Lord telling him that while he would have success, he would never have peace.
MxPx - we caught up with them at Cornerstone and they were very open and honest about the business. They talked about getting more flack from Christians than from non-Christians and their hope that Christian music would be good enough to co-exist along side all music. They made no conscious attempt to "cross over" they just made music they liked. There was some pretty frank talk about the corruption in the Christian music industry, not anyone specific but just the general feeling of exploitation. They are not bitter about anything and they seems very positive about the future.
SONNY SANDOVAL (P.O.D.) - First off, for a guy who looks like he could probably beat up most professional wrestlers, Sonny is a soft-spoken, articulate, mesmerizing Teddy Bear. I think Sunny vs Jeremy Camp would be a pretty sweet battle but...that is another movie. Though it is not as pertinent to the overall story of this film, Sunny has a powerful and amazing testimony about his mother's death and conversion to Christianity.
Many people dont realize that POD toured in a van for 7 years before the release of their big record, which hit the stores on 9/11. Sunny talked of the resistance from both sides, especially before they had mainstream success. He even recanted stories of people flipping them off in the shape of a cross. POD is really a band that helped tear down the wall of perception about what Christian music is and what it can be. Sunny also talked quite a bit about the influence of a band called "The Crucified" which is a band that comes up REPEATEDLY in these interviews. Sunny said he went to their shows even before he was a Christian because they were so good. More about them later...
MxPx - we caught up with them at Cornerstone and they were very open and honest about the business. They talked about getting more flack from Christians than from non-Christians and their hope that Christian music would be good enough to co-exist along side all music. They made no conscious attempt to "cross over" they just made music they liked. There was some pretty frank talk about the corruption in the Christian music industry, not anyone specific but just the general feeling of exploitation. They are not bitter about anything and they seems very positive about the future.
SONNY SANDOVAL (P.O.D.) - First off, for a guy who looks like he could probably beat up most professional wrestlers, Sonny is a soft-spoken, articulate, mesmerizing Teddy Bear. I think Sunny vs Jeremy Camp would be a pretty sweet battle but...that is another movie. Though it is not as pertinent to the overall story of this film, Sunny has a powerful and amazing testimony about his mother's death and conversion to Christianity.
Many people dont realize that POD toured in a van for 7 years before the release of their big record, which hit the stores on 9/11. Sunny talked of the resistance from both sides, especially before they had mainstream success. He even recanted stories of people flipping them off in the shape of a cross. POD is really a band that helped tear down the wall of perception about what Christian music is and what it can be. Sunny also talked quite a bit about the influence of a band called "The Crucified" which is a band that comes up REPEATEDLY in these interviews. Sunny said he went to their shows even before he was a Christian because they were so good. More about them later...
Friday, April 27, 2007
DC Talk, Stryper, Sixpence None the Richer & Underoath
I am fresh off NAB where I got my nerd on and then chased it with a trip to GMA where I got my Jesus on. GMA was still buzzing over BIO so I guess that is pretty cool. Here is some more wrap ups from other interviews we have done.
KEVIN MAX (DC talk) - K-Max as he is now called (isnt that a Kevin Spacey movie?) is a great interview. He has a mesmerizing speaking voice and speaks poetically. You can tell he has been worn down a little by the "machine" that is CCM. He echoed the sentiments of many, that we get too caught up in Christianese and the Jesus language as he put it. Why must every song be about Jesus? What about our lives, our struggles, our walk? He also had some great stuff to say about Larry Norman, who he is friends with. DC Talk did a pretty famous cover of Larry's "Wish We'd All Been Ready." He also commented extensively on "Jesus Freak" which was the song that really introduced the youth group crowd to "rawk" I still remember hearing that song and looking around at the other kids in youth group thinking... "uh... this is like.. umm... cool... can we really get away with listening to this?"
LEIGH NASH (Sixpence None the Richer) - What a doll of a person. The ultimate sweetheart but not without an edge. She was very open about her experiences. Many people dont realize that Sixpence toured with POD and the like for years, the sound may not have been as rocky as some but they were in the scene. She talked of being frustrated that they were often seen as "not Christian enough" for many people. Her best story is about the time she basically witnessed to David Letterman on national TV. If you havent seen it, http://youtube.com/watch?v=qJDldjmb_04 check it out...
UNDEROATH - We interviewed Underoath the week after they shook up both the Christian and general markets with a STUNNING first week of almost 100,000 records. This was #2 on Billboard and less than 3% of all sales were thru Christian outlets...all this from a SCREAMO band. They are energetic and legitimately talented and their story should inspire any band. They built an audience on the streets. There is not many places to take this genre of music so they took it to the streets and played over 1000 shows over the course of a few years and their audience responded...BIG TIME. These guys were headlining the Warped Tour and, believe it or not, rarely catching much flack for their faith. They are just too real. They said they never really felt any tension, they just go out and do their thing. The only thing at all that one might find a little frustrating about the younger bands like Underoath, is that they have little to no knowledge of the bands that paved the way for them. Maybe they will watch this movie and figure it out. I cant say I blame them... I didnt know about many of the bands who paved the way either until I started this Project.
Check out this article about Underoath, their new DVD and tour: CMJ Article
MICHAEL SWEET (STRYPER) - Many people like to remember only the cheesy side of Stryper and forget the massive cultural impact they made. Remember, they did this in an era where there was no crossing over, they started in the general market and never, at any point, were endorsed by the church. This did not stop them from being wildly successful. According to Michael, at first MTV didnt want to play their music video but they decided to give it a try and the response was huge. In fact, Stryper's first video was the first video to be "retired" from the request show at the time and they went on to have several videos be number one for so long that they had to be retired. Michael is pretty soft spoken but he provided some great history of the genre.
MORE TO COME!
KEVIN MAX (DC talk) - K-Max as he is now called (isnt that a Kevin Spacey movie?) is a great interview. He has a mesmerizing speaking voice and speaks poetically. You can tell he has been worn down a little by the "machine" that is CCM. He echoed the sentiments of many, that we get too caught up in Christianese and the Jesus language as he put it. Why must every song be about Jesus? What about our lives, our struggles, our walk? He also had some great stuff to say about Larry Norman, who he is friends with. DC Talk did a pretty famous cover of Larry's "Wish We'd All Been Ready." He also commented extensively on "Jesus Freak" which was the song that really introduced the youth group crowd to "rawk" I still remember hearing that song and looking around at the other kids in youth group thinking... "uh... this is like.. umm... cool... can we really get away with listening to this?"
LEIGH NASH (Sixpence None the Richer) - What a doll of a person. The ultimate sweetheart but not without an edge. She was very open about her experiences. Many people dont realize that Sixpence toured with POD and the like for years, the sound may not have been as rocky as some but they were in the scene. She talked of being frustrated that they were often seen as "not Christian enough" for many people. Her best story is about the time she basically witnessed to David Letterman on national TV. If you havent seen it, http://youtube.com/watch?v=qJDldjmb_04 check it out...
UNDEROATH - We interviewed Underoath the week after they shook up both the Christian and general markets with a STUNNING first week of almost 100,000 records. This was #2 on Billboard and less than 3% of all sales were thru Christian outlets...all this from a SCREAMO band. They are energetic and legitimately talented and their story should inspire any band. They built an audience on the streets. There is not many places to take this genre of music so they took it to the streets and played over 1000 shows over the course of a few years and their audience responded...BIG TIME. These guys were headlining the Warped Tour and, believe it or not, rarely catching much flack for their faith. They are just too real. They said they never really felt any tension, they just go out and do their thing. The only thing at all that one might find a little frustrating about the younger bands like Underoath, is that they have little to no knowledge of the bands that paved the way for them. Maybe they will watch this movie and figure it out. I cant say I blame them... I didnt know about many of the bands who paved the way either until I started this Project.
Check out this article about Underoath, their new DVD and tour: CMJ Article
MICHAEL SWEET (STRYPER) - Many people like to remember only the cheesy side of Stryper and forget the massive cultural impact they made. Remember, they did this in an era where there was no crossing over, they started in the general market and never, at any point, were endorsed by the church. This did not stop them from being wildly successful. According to Michael, at first MTV didnt want to play their music video but they decided to give it a try and the response was huge. In fact, Stryper's first video was the first video to be "retired" from the request show at the time and they went on to have several videos be number one for so long that they had to be retired. Michael is pretty soft spoken but he provided some great history of the genre.
MORE TO COME!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Chris Daughtry, Delirious?, Audio Adrenaline, Mercy Me, Jeremy Camp & Sanctus Real
Every time we do an interview, I will post a blurb here, something that "sticks out" in my mind from the interview. I will start with the more recent stuff as it is more fresh in my mind.
"DELIRIOUS?" - Ok, so, believe it or not, I basically knew nothing about them going into the interview but wow, what great people. They had a lot of great things to say. One thing that really stuck out was their reaction to the term "Christian rock" they said they think "Christian" is a wonderful noun...but terrible adjective. I could not agree more. They talked about how they have walked the line between the Christian and general market and gone thru whatever doors came open at the time. They also talked about a great review of their last album where the reviewer said, "Without God, this band would be huge." They loved the irony of that statement.
"CHRIS DAUGHTRY" - Obviously I knew Chris from American Idol and had heard from his manager that he was a Christian with a unique perspective. I met with him in Tulsa and showed him the promo video and he said he was into doing an interview. We caught up with him in Joplin after a HARD couple days and he was beat and canceled all press but was kind enough to give me 30 minutes. He was terrific, lots of good things to say. He does not feel called to preach, wear a badge, etc. but he does speak of God and faith in his lyrics. He, like me, was raised in the church so we had less access to the "cool" Christian music from places like Tooth & Nail. He said he and his wife got convicted a few years back to throw away all their secular CDs and replace them with "Christian" music. His reaction "...this stuff sucks, I want my old CDs back." He made a point that I thought was very astute, poetic lyrics are up to interpretation, it is the LISTENER, not the writer that ultimately decides what they mean. Great take. He said he has found spiritual connections thru the music of bands like Live, etc. He did say he liked 3rd Day and Day of Fire, who might actually go out on tour with him. Also, just remembered that Delirious? said that when they wanted to enter a spirit of worship, they put on a Pink Floyd record...that would connect to what Daughtry was saying.
"MARK STEWART - Audio Adrenaline" - there was a big teen worship-palooza fest or something coming thru town so we caught up with Mark as well as Bart from Mercy Me, Jeremy Camp and the band Sanctus Real, more on them later. Mark was VERY open about many things. He talked about how there were times when some Christians would attack them for being too worldy. For those of you who dont know, Audio Adrenaline, is a very "safe" youth group type band. I actually love them and still jam to the oldies but to think people protested THEM??! Crazy... I mean, POD, another band I love, I can get some church people not understanding them but Audio Adrenaline? Mark also talked about how, when they first started, they were all but forced to write what he called "songs full of trite lyrics" and about the pressure from the CCM machine to actually meet a quota of "JPM's" or "Jesus Per Minute's" to make the radio happy and to get youth leaders to endorse the band. He said that "JPM" was an actual industry term. He said the band countered with an album (that I own) called, "Dont Censor Me" If you look closely at the lyrics from the title track, you can see where they reference the situation. After a verse talking about the general market not wanting to play songs about faith while having no problem playing songs about sex, the second verse seems to take on the Christian music biz:
We scream we shout
we just wanna let it out
No fuss and no cuss
you still try to censor us
Mark was great and will have some good moments in the doc.
"BART MILLARD - Mercy Me" - How does Mercy Me fit into Christian rock? Easy...they dont. However, Bart is a great guy who is a lifelong Christian and is very aware of the scene and culture. He had SO many things to add, from him going to CD burnings as a kid, being shocked by Cornerstone, etc. But his best stuff was in defense of POD and Switchfoot and their role and path for their careers. He loves both those bands and is a bit put-off about how they sometimes are treated by the Christian industry. They were not embraced when they were IN it and now that they have had success OUTSIDE the Christian scene, too many people are in the "we are sure proud of our boys" camp and wondering why those bands have not endorsed the scene more. It was great to have someone like Bart make these points.
"JEREMY CAMP" - How does Jeremy Camp fit in? Easy...the dude is a friggin hardcore music nut at heart. This interview went so much better than expected as he literally has an encyclopedic knowledge of Christian hard rock. He was so passionate and so well versed at any name you threw at him. The Crucified, "oh dude, when I was 10 I was in a mosh pit at Cornerstone watching The Crucified, they were totally legit man." Crazy! He has a great personal story and the dude is swole, we are talking shellfish allergy I just ate 10 shrimp cocktails swole. As buff as he was, he was a really great guy, lots of passion but uber-nice. I would not want to make him mad though, those guns could do some serious damage.
"SANCTUS REAL" - I didnt know much about them, other than my friend Logan had them on his talk show and that he really likes them. I did check out some of their tunes and dug what I heard. I showed them the promo video and they were pumped to talk. They had a lot to say but the best thing was a Cornerstone story about a band called "Lust Control" who sang a song called "The Big M" which was about masturbation. The Sanctus guys said the "M" stood for mortified in the eyes of the youth leaders who had brought them to the show. I actually loved these guys and they have made it into my daily vocab. I used to say, "hey man, I'm just trying to keep it real." Now I say, "hey man, I'm just trying to keep it real...sanctus real."
That's it for now, I have like 50 more to catch up on!
"DELIRIOUS?" - Ok, so, believe it or not, I basically knew nothing about them going into the interview but wow, what great people. They had a lot of great things to say. One thing that really stuck out was their reaction to the term "Christian rock" they said they think "Christian" is a wonderful noun...but terrible adjective. I could not agree more. They talked about how they have walked the line between the Christian and general market and gone thru whatever doors came open at the time. They also talked about a great review of their last album where the reviewer said, "Without God, this band would be huge." They loved the irony of that statement.
"CHRIS DAUGHTRY" - Obviously I knew Chris from American Idol and had heard from his manager that he was a Christian with a unique perspective. I met with him in Tulsa and showed him the promo video and he said he was into doing an interview. We caught up with him in Joplin after a HARD couple days and he was beat and canceled all press but was kind enough to give me 30 minutes. He was terrific, lots of good things to say. He does not feel called to preach, wear a badge, etc. but he does speak of God and faith in his lyrics. He, like me, was raised in the church so we had less access to the "cool" Christian music from places like Tooth & Nail. He said he and his wife got convicted a few years back to throw away all their secular CDs and replace them with "Christian" music. His reaction "...this stuff sucks, I want my old CDs back." He made a point that I thought was very astute, poetic lyrics are up to interpretation, it is the LISTENER, not the writer that ultimately decides what they mean. Great take. He said he has found spiritual connections thru the music of bands like Live, etc. He did say he liked 3rd Day and Day of Fire, who might actually go out on tour with him. Also, just remembered that Delirious? said that when they wanted to enter a spirit of worship, they put on a Pink Floyd record...that would connect to what Daughtry was saying.
"MARK STEWART - Audio Adrenaline" - there was a big teen worship-palooza fest or something coming thru town so we caught up with Mark as well as Bart from Mercy Me, Jeremy Camp and the band Sanctus Real, more on them later. Mark was VERY open about many things. He talked about how there were times when some Christians would attack them for being too worldy. For those of you who dont know, Audio Adrenaline, is a very "safe" youth group type band. I actually love them and still jam to the oldies but to think people protested THEM??! Crazy... I mean, POD, another band I love, I can get some church people not understanding them but Audio Adrenaline? Mark also talked about how, when they first started, they were all but forced to write what he called "songs full of trite lyrics" and about the pressure from the CCM machine to actually meet a quota of "JPM's" or "Jesus Per Minute's" to make the radio happy and to get youth leaders to endorse the band. He said that "JPM" was an actual industry term. He said the band countered with an album (that I own) called, "Dont Censor Me" If you look closely at the lyrics from the title track, you can see where they reference the situation. After a verse talking about the general market not wanting to play songs about faith while having no problem playing songs about sex, the second verse seems to take on the Christian music biz:
We scream we shout
we just wanna let it out
No fuss and no cuss
you still try to censor us
Mark was great and will have some good moments in the doc.
"BART MILLARD - Mercy Me" - How does Mercy Me fit into Christian rock? Easy...they dont. However, Bart is a great guy who is a lifelong Christian and is very aware of the scene and culture. He had SO many things to add, from him going to CD burnings as a kid, being shocked by Cornerstone, etc. But his best stuff was in defense of POD and Switchfoot and their role and path for their careers. He loves both those bands and is a bit put-off about how they sometimes are treated by the Christian industry. They were not embraced when they were IN it and now that they have had success OUTSIDE the Christian scene, too many people are in the "we are sure proud of our boys" camp and wondering why those bands have not endorsed the scene more. It was great to have someone like Bart make these points.
"JEREMY CAMP" - How does Jeremy Camp fit in? Easy...the dude is a friggin hardcore music nut at heart. This interview went so much better than expected as he literally has an encyclopedic knowledge of Christian hard rock. He was so passionate and so well versed at any name you threw at him. The Crucified, "oh dude, when I was 10 I was in a mosh pit at Cornerstone watching The Crucified, they were totally legit man." Crazy! He has a great personal story and the dude is swole, we are talking shellfish allergy I just ate 10 shrimp cocktails swole. As buff as he was, he was a really great guy, lots of passion but uber-nice. I would not want to make him mad though, those guns could do some serious damage.
"SANCTUS REAL" - I didnt know much about them, other than my friend Logan had them on his talk show and that he really likes them. I did check out some of their tunes and dug what I heard. I showed them the promo video and they were pumped to talk. They had a lot to say but the best thing was a Cornerstone story about a band called "Lust Control" who sang a song called "The Big M" which was about masturbation. The Sanctus guys said the "M" stood for mortified in the eyes of the youth leaders who had brought them to the show. I actually loved these guys and they have made it into my daily vocab. I used to say, "hey man, I'm just trying to keep it real." Now I say, "hey man, I'm just trying to keep it real...sanctus real."
That's it for now, I have like 50 more to catch up on!
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Bleed Into One - the story of Christian rock
So, this is my latest project. It is a feature length doc, a follow up to my first feature doc, "Strong Enough to Break" which is finishing it's festival/college run after being received much better than ever anticipated. I was approached by Tim Hudson in Bartlesville, OK about the idea. It sounded solid but surely it had been done before... the history of Christian rock. Turns out, nobody has ever tackled it, there have been some shorts and a couple docs about a certain event but nobody has ever gone back to the beginning to see how it all started and how we are now in a time where POD, The Fray, Switchfoot, Chris Daughtry, etc. are not judged by their lyrics but by their art.
The story has morphed from being the true history and including much more of the harder stuff, to being the story of the genre as told by those who created, shaped and lived it. I am not making the anthology here and I am not making a feel good, all Christian music is great thing either. This is a story of controversy, corruption, faith, art, business, hope, diligence, etc. I am not setting out to prove anything, or make anyone look bad, I am just telling the TRUTH, as told to me thru interviews. To get people to respect anything, you have to acknowledge the warts, the dark places, and the frailty. I have a 5 minute promo video that I cannot make public just yet but it has been received overwhelmingly well. The title represents my own personal position that we, as Christians, are too focused on creating our own "safe" sub-culture instead of BEING IN THE WORLD, being relevant and AFFECTING culture. We are called to be IN THE WORLD, not of the world and too many people are so focused on the second half of that verse that the forget the first part which is the most important.
Currently, we have interest from at least 2 major studios but since the film is still shooting, we are considering all options. I will keep everyone updated thru this blog and I will be posting updates after every interview we do. To get started, I will post some personal highlights of the interviews we have done to date.
The story has morphed from being the true history and including much more of the harder stuff, to being the story of the genre as told by those who created, shaped and lived it. I am not making the anthology here and I am not making a feel good, all Christian music is great thing either. This is a story of controversy, corruption, faith, art, business, hope, diligence, etc. I am not setting out to prove anything, or make anyone look bad, I am just telling the TRUTH, as told to me thru interviews. To get people to respect anything, you have to acknowledge the warts, the dark places, and the frailty. I have a 5 minute promo video that I cannot make public just yet but it has been received overwhelmingly well. The title represents my own personal position that we, as Christians, are too focused on creating our own "safe" sub-culture instead of BEING IN THE WORLD, being relevant and AFFECTING culture. We are called to be IN THE WORLD, not of the world and too many people are so focused on the second half of that verse that the forget the first part which is the most important.
Currently, we have interest from at least 2 major studios but since the film is still shooting, we are considering all options. I will keep everyone updated thru this blog and I will be posting updates after every interview we do. To get started, I will post some personal highlights of the interviews we have done to date.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Time to get my blog on...
Since I have pretty much abandoned watching news on TV and reading the newspaper... and my main source of info and entertainment is reading blogs... I figured, why not jump aboard the bandwagon? Surely I have something interesting to say, and if I don't, I can always just make something up. I will copy my band names blog over here and also start blowing your mind with my useless knowledge and deep thoughts...
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